Sec. 313.121. (A) As used in this section, "parent" means | 15 |
either parent, except that if one parent has been designated the | 16 |
residential parent and legal custodian of the child, "parent" | 17 |
means the designated residential parent and legal custodian, and | 18 |
if a person other than a parent is the child's legal guardian, | 19 |
"parent" means the legal guardian. | 20 |
(B) If a child under two years of age dies suddenly when in | 21 |
apparent good health, the death shall be reported immediately to | 22 |
the coroner of the county in which the death occurred, as required | 23 |
by section 313.12 of the Revised Code. Except as provided in | 24 |
division (C) of this section, the coroner or deputy coroner shall | 25 |
perform an autopsy on the child. The autopsy shall be performed in | 26 |
accordance with rules adopted by the director of health under | 27 |
section 313.122 of the Revised Code. The coroner or deputy coroner | 28 |
may perform research procedures and tests when performing the | 29 |
autopsy. | 30 |
If the child was one year of age or younger at the time of | 31 |
death, the general assembly encourages the coroner, deputy | 32 |
coroner, or any other individual who has been designated to | 33 |
investigate the child's death to complete a sudden unexplained | 34 |
infant death investigation reporting form (SUIDI reporting form) | 35 |
developed by the United States centers for disease control and | 36 |
prevention. If completed, a copy of the form shall be sent to the | 37 |
director of health and used for the purpose of collecting data to | 38 |
prevent future unexplained infant deaths. | 39 |
(C) A coroner or deputy coroner is not required to perform an | 40 |
autopsy if the coroner of the county in which the death occurred | 41 |
or a court with jurisdiction over the deceased body determines | 42 |
under section 313.131 of the Revised Code that an autopsy is | 43 |
contrary to the religious beliefs of the child. If the coroner or | 44 |
the court makes such a determination, the coroner shall notify the | 45 |
health district or department of health with jurisdiction in the | 46 |
area in which the child's parent resides. For purposes of this | 47 |
division, the religious beliefs of the parents of a child shall be | 48 |
considered to be the religious beliefs of the child. | 49 |
The coroner, within a reasonable time after the final results | 55 |
of the autopsy are reported, shall send written notice of the | 56 |
results to the state department of health, the health district or | 57 |
department with jurisdiction in the area in which the child's | 58 |
parent resides, and, upon the request of a parent of the child, to | 59 |
the child's attending physician. Upon the written request of a | 60 |
parent of the child and the payment of the transcript fee required | 61 |
by section 313.10 of the Revised Code, the coroner shall send | 62 |
written notice of the final results to that parent. The notice | 63 |
sent to the state department of health shall include all of the | 64 |
information specified in rules adopted under section 313.122 of | 65 |
the Revised Code. | 66 |
(F) When a health district or department receives notice that | 79 |
the final result of an autopsy performed pursuant to this section | 80 |
concluded that the child died of sudden infant death syndrome or | 81 |
that, pursuant to division (C) of this section, an autopsy was not | 82 |
performed but sudden infant death syndrome may have been the cause | 83 |
of death, it shall offer the child's parent information about | 84 |
sudden infant death syndrome. The state department of health shall | 85 |
ensure that current information on sudden infant death syndrome is | 86 |
available for distribution by health districts and departments. | 87 |